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Rotary Cross Bay Charity Swim for clean water
Paul Strachan &
Iain Corness
How do you improve on a winning formula? Well you adapt it to encompass
different aspects that reach out to a different audience, or in this
case - swimmers.
The Rotary Club of Jomtien Pattaya has held its annual cross bay swim
every November and this year was the fourth such event. However, this
year’s swim had a new characteristic to it that was the brainchild of
club president, Jan Abbink.
 Nancy
Ellis receives her trophy, medal and certificate for winning the shorter
version, from
PDG Prempreecha Dibbayawan.
President Jan has been endeavoring to provide local school children with
something we all take for granted: clean water and as such he decided to
add a shorter swim to the programme, which in turn would attract more
swimmers of different ages and therefore open the event up to more
people in the community who have an athletic bent and of course a way to
raise funds for the clean water project.
Last year’s event had 17 swimmers, making their way across Pattaya Bay
raising a total of 165,000 baht.
However, President Jan foreseen the smaller swim as a way of involving
schoolchildren, so with the help of last year’s winner Peter Gibney, who
funnily enough is a P.E teacher at Regents School, together they rounded
up a group of young swimmers for a 1.1 km swim from the golden sands
adjacent to the Hard Rock Hotel.
 Nick
Wilson, a tri-athlete and swim coach from Bangkok Pattana International
School, was the first to come ashore in this year’s event.
So under a blazing sun on Sunday the 11th, 24 youngsters congregated at
the Hard Rock Hotel eager to get into the water. President Jan gave a
small speech thanking the staff & management of the Hard Rock Hotel for
their cooperation and also conveyed to the swimmers that lifeguards
would be on hand, and that if anybody got tired they could be picked up
or just veer back to the safety of the shore.
The police were on hand to stop the traffic on Beach Road as the group
made their way from the Hard Rock over the road and into the water where
a whistle was blown and they were off, making their way to Chaba Beach
at the Dusit Thani.
Meanwhile, a hardy group of veteran swimmers (and some new faces)
assembled at the Sea Rescue point for the 3.5 km part of the event.
Although the sun was shining the waves were a lot higher than last year
and you could sense a degree of trepidation in the swimmers.
 Alan
Coates, will you do this again? “No way!”
Of course Peter Gibney was there, resplendent in pink bathing suit and
matching cap. His contribution to this event was evident with 35
swimmers taking part in the long swim - that’s more than twice as much
as last year, not including the additional 24 younger swimmers.
A short recap on safety and some guidance as where to head for and they
were off, braving the waves, saltwater but safe in the knowledge that
sea traffic would be controlled by the sea rescue unit.
At about this time the younger swimmers were starting to approach Chaba
Beach at the Dusit Thani Hotel, where a large group of spectators,
teachers and proud parents were there to cheer them on. It was a young
lady form Regents School, Nancy Ellis, who effortlessly came in claiming
first place. Nancy said that is was a pretty easy swim once she got used
to the waves and said that she kept herself pretty fit and had done a
bit of training; however, that was in the pool.
 A
proud moment for Veryan Blake who recived her certificate from President
Jan Abbink.
The staff from the Dusit Thani made sure that the swimmers had hydrated
and a buffet was laid out in case anybody was getting hungry.
Now the sights were set back onto the water on the lookout for the
athletes taking part in the long swim - would Peter Gibney triumph for a
second year?
As the first swimmers approached it was clear that it wasn’t the
trademark pink fluorescent cap of Peter, in fact it was another teacher
who came in first place: Nick Wilson, a tri-athlete and swim coach from
Bangkok Pattana International School.
Nick has been living in Thailand for a few months and decided to take
part, as for him it was a way to do what he does best - have some fun
and raise money for charity.
 Papa
Rene Pisters and son Anthony congratulate daughter Jessica as she came
on shore.
A minute or so later Peter Gibney emerged from the bay to claim second
place. In an interview on PMTV Peter explained that he was neck and neck
with Nick as they crossed the bay but that he got a cramp on the last
leg of the swim which lost him first place. However, he was beaming with
joy having received second place, and knowing that through his
commitment the event had reached out to the Regents School. He said that
next year he would endeavour to get the other international schools
involved.
After a few glasses of water the swimmers toasted each other with an ice
cold San Miguel, tucked into the food and cheered on the other swimmers
who started to arrive at Chaba Beach.
 Suree
Pachana proudly displays the Certificate of Appreciation presented to
the Dusit Thani, Pattaya for their generous sponsorship.
Typical of many of the swimmers who crossed the bay, was visiting
engineer Alan Coates, who had gone into serious training for three
months beforehand to be ready for the arduous event. It should also be
mentioned that Alan is no strapping youngster, but at 67 years of age
still managed to come in 12th overall in one hour 20 minutes, beating
many much younger contestants. Alan also raised 40,000 baht for the
Rotary charity.
After training in an Olympic sized swimming baths, complete with
guidance lines on the bottom of the pool, he quickly found that Pattaya
Bay did not have underwater markings, and stated that with all the
zig-zagging he did, he probably covered seven km, instead of the three
and a half!
When questioned about next year’s event, he had no hesitation in saying,
“No way!”
It was then time for the formalities as President Jan Abbink along with
Past District Governor Premprecha Dibbayawan and District Governor Elect
Peter Malhotra distributed trophies and medals to the swimmers and
certificates of appreciation to the various companies that supported the
event.
At the time of writing the final tally of the day had yet to be done;
however, Jan Abbink stated: “We exceeded our target of 500,000 baht.”
And due to the matching grant programme with Rotary International,
President Jan was confident that this great day would provide many
schools in the region with an essential to healthy living: clean water.
So a great day was had by all with some familiar faces as well as
children from Regents School doing their bit for the region. No doubt
next year’s event will build on the success of this years cross bay -
cross generation swim, all in the aid of the humanitarian projects of
the Rotary Club of Jomtien Pattaya.
DGE Peter Malhotra
presents the 1st, 2nd & 3rd place trophies to (l-r) Nick Wilson, Peter
Gibney and Eddy Smith.
And they’re off!
Pattaya’s Sea Rescue team
was on hand in case anyone got tired
and needed a lift to shore.
Cheering on the swimmers.
Winners all! Participants
of 3.5-kilometer and 1.1-kilometer swim.
Cheering on her favorite
swimmer.
Up, up and away with Gulf Air and
vroom, vroom with the Jesters
Mike Franklin
Children from the Fountain of Life and Camillian Centers were given
a rare treat when Gulf Air brought their hot air balloon to Horseshoe Point
on Wednesday November 14. Twenty children had the opportunity to briefly
experience a hot air balloon flight under the watchful control of Captain
Don Conner and co-pilot Debbie. Mid-afternoon a storm and heavy rain had
threatened the event but luck prevailed and by late afternoon the balloon,
all 3000 cubic meters of it, was laid out on the sports field, tethered and
inflated. Standing 23 meters high and 21 meters wide, it is an impressive
promotional tool for Gulf Air, proudly wearing the Gulf Air colors and logo,
and routinely traveling worldwide to attend travel conventions and events.
 Up,
up and away!
John Evans, general manager for Gulf Air Thailand, was particularly
enthusiastic at being able to host these children as part of a scheduled
hospitality event at Horseshoe Point for travel agents from Pattaya and the
Eastern Seaboard.
Proudly wearing their Gulf Air caps presented by John Evans and his team,
the children tucked into burgers & chips and got fuelled up for the balloon
flight. Five at a time they boarded the basket alongside Captain Don for the
take-off. Tethers tightened as it was up, up and away with the emphasis
being on ‘up’. Of necessity it was a brief upward excursion of some 15
meters altitude, just to experience the thrill of balloon travel, hover for
a while, and see the surroundings from a different perspective.
But that was not all. The event was hosted by Gulf Air but organized jointly
by Pattaya Mail and the Jesters MC so naturally the Jesters, five of
them, namely Woody, Jari, Sam, Pete & Kim brought their spotless Harley’s
along to give the kids had a double treat by flying the balloon and then
riding pillion on the choppers with the big guys and of course all wearing
Jesters crash helmets. Jesters Pete and Jari decided they would also hitch a
ride in the balloon basket with the kids - both big guys so a slightly
slower lift-off that time!
It was a memorable outing for all the children as the pictures here show, as
it was too for the Pattaya Mail and PMTV crews who clearly enjoyed
filming the event. Look out for the feature Meet & Greet film on the PMTV
Cable network, including interviews with balloon Captain Don Connor, Gulf
Air GM John Evans, Kru Nan from the Fountain of Life, Paul Baird from the
Camillian Center and Jester Woody. Watch out for the Gulf Air flying mascot
- a big hit with the children for sure!
Nice one Gulf Air, come back again soon.
Look for television coverage on Tuesday the 27th on Pattaya Mail TV’s
Meet & Greet programme.
Gulf Air Thailand GM John
Evans is particularly enthusiastic at being able to host these children as
part of a scheduled hospitality event at Horseshoe Point for travel agents
from Pattaya and the Eastern Seaboard.
Gulf Air Thailand GM John
Evans hands out certificates and gifts to the children.
Only a couple meters off the
ground, and smiles are everywhere.
Hold tight, here we go…
The children tucked into
burgers & chips, getting fuelled up for the balloon flight.
Kids climb aboard under the
watchful eye of Captain Don Conner.
A loud rumble signals the
Harleys are ready to roll.
Children and minders pose with
the Gulf Air mascot.
Liebherr celebrates 10th anniversary in Thailand
Employees receive blessings from a revered monk.
Elfi Seitz
Liebherr (Thailand) Co Ltd celebrated its 10th anniversary in
Thailand on November 8 with a reception held at its Rayong plant.
Henning Rapp, managing director of Liebherr-International Deutschland GmbH
in Germany together with general manager of Liebherr Thailand Kurt Gruber
welcomed the guests.
The parent company was founded in Germany in 1949 by Hans Liebherr, and is
now run by second-generation siblings Isolde and Willi Liebherr. The
headquarters is still in Germany, but Liebherr has bases in 19 countries,
including Thailand.
Liebherr (Thailand) Co Ltd was established in 1997 and is primarily engaged
in cranes and concrete mixing technology.
Rayong Governor Polawat Chayanuwat was guest of honor and representatives
from many other companies attended as well as business customers.
Following a Buddhist blessings ceremony the guests gathered in front of the
building, which had been decorated with the flags of all of the countries in
which Liebherr has offices, for snacks and champagne.
General manager Gruber introduced Rapp and Polawat to the attendees.
Addressing the gathering, the governor said how happy he was to see so many
workers and customers gathered for the tenth anniversary.
Polawat said that when Liebherr opened in Rayong, Thailand was on the brink
of the 1997 economic crisis.
“Unfortunately, many foreign enterprises left the country as they lost trust
in the Thai economy,” he said. “Despite also suffering the negative effects
of the crisis, Liebherr continued to believe that Thailand had a promising
business future.
“The company today is a leading business in Rayong Province. Many Liebherr
products are manufactured at the Rayong site. It is such a pleasure to see
the company enjoying success.”
Rapp told the guests how the Rayong company has developed from initially
having only 50 workers to about 180 nowadays.
“This year we may expect to raise the turnover to more than ten million
euros,” he said. “Since 2004, Liebherr has elevated its turnover here by 58
percent. More than 250 of all the Easymix cement mixers that were
constructed in 2006 have been manufactured this year at this site.”
Rapp said the principal customers are from Thailand, other parts of Asia,
and South Africa.
“Rayong was chosen to be the Easymix manufacturing site because of an
intention to consolidate the location. And that we achieved.”
Rapp congratulated the management on its tenth anniversary, the champagne
corks popped, and toasts were drunk to an auspicious future. Celebrations
continued with a facility visit and lunch buffet afterwards that was
prepared by Amari Orchid Resort.
Many guests also participated in the golf tournament that was organized for
this special occasion.
At night, the Liebherr management and the golf players met for dinner at the
Amari Ocean Tower. There, they bid farewell to Henning Rapp and his staff
who had to head for Germany the very same day.
(L to R) GM Kurt Gruber, Till Morstadt, Henning
Rapp, Guenter Hardock,
Governor Polawat Chayanuwat, Frank Seifert, Jetsada Sripok, Warawut Pinngern
and Charat Vechpitak pose at the party.
BCCT horsing around in Pattaya
The three hosts, Tachota
Wetsiriyanan asst. MD of La Perla, Jate Sopitpongstorn and Prasertchai
Phornprapha, MD of Siam Country Club welcomed all.
The event was held under the
stars around the ornamental pools of the new up-market residences there,
with classical music playing in the background.
The event was held under the
stars around pools of The Residence Horseshoe Point.
There was also entertainment
in the form of seven foot tall (Imperial measure just for the British) young
ladies dressed (undressed?) in swimwear which looked mightily like lingerie,
but there were no complaints from any of the male members (no pun intended).
Dr Iain Corness
The British Chamber of Commerce Thailand (BCCT) held a different
networking evening last week. With the venue being Horseshoe Point, the
event was held under the stars around the ornamental pools of the new
up-market residences there, with classical music playing in the background.
Members and guests were welcomed by the MD of Horseshoe Point, Jate
Sopitpongstorn, a young man on the move, not only on horseback, with the SEA
Games equestrian events being held on his property December 8 and 9.
However, it was a fun night for the BCCT members with a beer drinking
competition for those of strong constitutions, and there was none stronger
than Kevin the Crane-man Fisher, who polished off a jug of beer then backed
up for more while the other contestants were still spluttering. It’s a brave
man who takes on Kevin Fisher in the elbow bending stakes!
There was also entertainment in the form of seven foot tall (Imperial
measure just for the British) young ladies dressed (undressed?) in swimwear
which looked mightily like lingerie, but there were no complaints from any
of the male members (no pun intended).
With the renewed vigor in the Bangkok Hospital Pattaya, with the newly
appointed senior management team and a raft of price reductions and special
check-up offers, marketing executive Ann Wangvirayaphan was kept very busy.
The local business community now fully understands of the advantages of
being represented at these networking evenings, and Paitoon Wongsawat, the
senior sales manager of the Amari run Nova Suites, was seen giving details
of the new venture on Soi Sukrudee. New ventures were also being touted,
with the Pattaya Business Card’s Nam Sombun handing out her card! Peter
Smith of AA Insurance Brokers was also advising on the advantages of taking
out an insurance policy before getting one of the Bangkok Hospital Pattaya’s
check-ups, so that anything found does not come under the heading of a
pre-existing condition, and therefore not covered by insurance taken out
afterwards. (Peter had also tried challenging Kevin Fisher in the beer
boating bonanza and failed miserably.)
Executive director of the BCCT, Greg Watkins, was seen galloping around the
various groups, but his jodhpurs were apparently not back from the laundry.
It was another great night for the chamber members and guests, and news of
the next one will be given through the Pattaya Mail.
Look for television coverage on Wednesday the 28th on Pattaya Mail TV’s Meet
& Greet programme.
Nong Film crowned yet again
at Tiffany’s transvestite beauty pageant
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
A student from Kasetsart University was crowned Miss International
Queen 2007 at the transvestite beauty pageant held at Tiffany’s on November
10.
 Sutham
Phanthusak, managing director of Tiffany’s Show,
Kathy Heinecke, director of Minor Holding (Thai) Ltd., William E. Heinecke,
CEO of Minor Group and Alisa Phanthusak Asst. MD of Tiffany’s Show share a
light moment before the show.
Twenty-year-old Tanyarat Jirapatpakon, better known as Nong Film, won
300,000 baht along with a crown and trophy.
Tiffany’s Show Pattaya Co Ltd organized the 4th Annual Miss International
Queen contest in cooperation with the Tourism Authority of Thailand,
Chonburi Administrative Organization and Pattaya City.
Transvestite participants from 24 countries took part in the extravaganza,
which was broadcast live on TiTV.
First runner up was Aleika Barros from Brazil, who received 100,000 baht,
and second runner up was Chanel Madrigal from the Philippines, who received
an award of 80,000 baht, and who also won in the Best Evening Gown category.
The winner of the Best National Costume was Beni Tsukishima from Japan, who
received an award of 35,000 baht. Melania Armenta from Columbia was Miss
Photogenic, and Miss Cordiality was Ireen Sue from Germany.
Nong Film, who had also won the Miss Tiffany Universe 2007 contest earlier
in the year, will now have the duties of Miss International Queen 2007 to
undertake, and will meanwhile continue his studies at Kasetsart.
Nong Film (seated) and the
court ladies who won the other prizes: (L to R) Beni Tshukishima from Japan,
best national costume; Ireen Sue from Germany, Miss Cordiality; second
runner-up Chanel Madrigal from the Philippines, best evening gown; Nong
Film, Miss International Queen 2007; runner-up Aleika Barros from Brazil;
Joana Ingrid Castilanes, most beautiful skin; Melania Armenta from Columbia,
Miss Photogenic; Jazmine International from Puerto Rico, best talent.
The beauties in their swimsuit
round thrilled the audiences.
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